Indonesian rail project kicks off

Two Indonesian women pose for a photo with a high-speed train model on Jan. 21, 2016.

China's first high-speed railway project in Indonesia will push Southeast Asian countries to adopt Chinese standards in building the best quality rail networks, according to Zhou Zhiliang, chairman of China Railway Signal and Communication Co, on Wednesday.

He said because most Southeast Asian nations have only just begun to build new railway lines or bought new trains, they are keen to acquire technical support from China to help with maintenance, training and other services.

His comments came after the Indonesia-China joint venture company PT Kereta Cepat Indonesia-China, on Tuesday signed an EPC (engineering, procurement and construction) project with High-Speed Railway Contract Consortium－the project's business operator and infrastructure provider. EPC projects are a common form of contractual arrangement in the construction industry.

This is the first time China has allowed a State-owned company to fully immerse itself in an overseas project, in terms of design and construction, according to a statement released by the National Development and Reform Commission, the country's top economic planner, on Wednesday.